Fantasy Hockey: Weekly Schedule Strength and Broadcast Goals – Week 2

Identifying players with four games each week and populating your roster with those players can increase your chances of winning your fantasy hockey game. That’s why our weekly planner is so useful!

I took this weekly schedule and combined it with a team defense score that I created using key defensive metrics to find which teams/skaters have the easiest schedule this week.

Week 2 — Schedule Force

Pittsburgh penguins

The Penguins have the easiest schedule of the week, playing in Montreal, then hosting the Kings and wrapping up their week in Columbus. The problem for the Penguins is that they play the three busiest nights of the week, which makes streaming their players a bit more difficult. If you want to incorporate them into your lineup, here’s who you should consider:

Potential dissemination targets:

• Rickard Rakell (LW/RW – 41% listed) Rakell holds long-term value as the third member of the Penguins’ first line along with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. In two games, Rakell has one goal, 10 shots and his plus-5 rating is tied for best in the NHL. He’s probably the only Penguin worth picking up and making your roster during a busy week in the NHL.
• Jeff Carter (C – 6% registered) If you want to go further down the lineup, Carter is off to a good start, scoring one goal with two assists (three points) in two games. The problem with Carter is a lack of use, as the Penguins’ No. 3 center he only plays 14:34 ATOI.
• Jason Zucker (LW – 3% List) Zucker is currently skating on the Penguins’ second line with Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust as well as the second unit on the power play. He scored one goal and two assists in two games. He has taken six shots on goal but has 13 attempted shots which should be a sign of more production going forward.

New York Rangers

Rangers have three home games this week, hosting the Ducks, Sharks and Blue Jackets. They play Monday, Thursday and Sunday, so you should be able to fit them into your roster at least twice without having to make too many tough decisions.

Potential dissemination targets:

• Alexis Lafrenière (AG/AD – 52% registered) Vitaly Kravtsov left Rangers’ first game of the season and Lafrenière has been skating on a line with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck ever since. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick has an impressive two assists and 13 shots in three games. The main concern with Lafrenière entering the season was limited ice time (13:59 ATOI) and limited shot volume (6.0 SOG/60). Both have changed drastically in the first week of the season as he plays 17:05 AOTI and his shot volume (15.3 SOG/60) is currently among the best in the league. He is listed in more than half of Yahoo! Leagues, so it may not be available in your league, but if it is, you should run to the waiver wire to pick it up.
• Kaapo Kakko (RW – 13% registered) Kakko also had a great opportunity early in the season, skating on the front row with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. The results weren’t as strong as Lafrenière’s, but he has one goal and seven shots and is much more available on the wire.

• [COL] Evan Rodrigues (LW/RW – 9% List) Rodrigues is off to a quiet start in Colorado, failing to register a point with just three shots and a minus-3 rating in two games. Still, he’s playing more than 16 minutes per game and had 15.3 SOG/60 a season ago. The Avalanche have a good schedule for streaming, playing Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• [FLA] Brandon Montour (D – 17% registered) If you need help on the blue line this week, Montour seems like the best option and could turn into a long-term solution. He took on a bigger role with Paul Maurice behind the bench, playing more than 23 minutes a game and seeing time on the best power play unit next to Aaron Ekblad. He has one goal and four shots (10 shot attempts) in two games. The Panthers have the perfect broadcast schedule for this week, playing Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with some nice matchups mixed in.
• Seattle Kraken: The entire Kraken team is less than 50% owned, so chances are most of them will be available in your league. They also have the perfect broadcast schedule, playing Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, although the matches aren’t great. Still, Matty Beniers (50%), Andre Burakovsky (37%), Oliver Bjorkstrand (26%), Jaden Schwartz (9%) and Jordan Eberle (3%) all make good streaming targets.